s drawn by zebus,
a sort of brahma ox, palanquins, ponies, &c. So it happened that there
was nothing left for Mr. Fogg and Sir Francis Cromarty.

"I shall walk," said Phileas Fogg. Passe-partout, who was close to his
master, made a very expressive grimace when he gazed at his elegant
but very thin slippers. Fortunately he had made a discovery, but
hesitated a little to announce it.

"Sir," he said at length, "I think I have found means for our
transport."

"What is it?"

"An elephant. It belongs to a native who lives close by."

"Let us go and see this animal," said Mr. Fogg. Five minutes later Sir
Francis and Mr. Fogg, accompanied by Passe-partout, reached the hut,
which was surrounded by a palisade. In the hut resided the native;
inside the palisade the elephant lived. The former introduced the new
arrivals to the latter, at their particular request.

They found that the animal was half domesticated; it had originally
been purchased for a fighting elephant, not for carrying purposes.
With this end in view, the owner had begun to alter the naturally
placid disposition of the beast by irritating him, and getting him
gradually up to that pitch of fury called "mutsh" by the Hindoos, and
this is done by feeding the elephant on sugar and butter for three
months. This at first sight would appear scarcely the treatment likely
to conduce to such an object, but it is successfully employed.

Fortunately, however, for Mr. Fogg, the elephant in question had not
been subjected to this treatment for a very long time, and the "mutsh"
had not appeared.

Kiouni--for so was the animal called--was no doubt quite competent to
perform the journey required, and in the absence of other conveyance,
Phileas Fogg determined to hire him.

But elephants in India are dear, for they are becoming somewhat
scarce. The males, which only are suited to the circus training, are
much in request. They seldom breed when in a domesticated state, so
they can only be procured by hunting. They are, therefore, the objects
of much solicitude, and when Mr. Fogg asked the owner what he could
hire his elephant for, the man declined point-blank to lend him at
all.

Fogg persisted, and offered ten pounds an hour for the beast! It was
refused. Twenty? Still refused. Forty? Declined with thanks.
Passe-partout actually jumped at each "bid." But the native would not
yield to the temptation.

Nevertheless the price tendered was a handsome one. Supposing that